Six lawmakers from the Free Patriotic Movement have formally requested Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to convene a session to interrogate the government over unresolved issues spanning finance, energy, security and judicial independence.
Six Free Patriotic Movement MPs have submitted a formal request to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri for a dedicated session to interrogate the government. The lawmakers are Cesar Abou Khalil, Nada al-Bustani, Jebran Bassil, George Attallah, Edgar Traboulsi and Samer al-Toum.
The request invokes Articles 131 and 136 of the parliament's internal regulations, which authorise MPs to request government interrogation and schedule sessions for questions and general debate.
The MPs contend that parliamentary oversight is a core function of the legislature and that numerous previous questions have received insufficient, contradictory or indirect answers from the government.
On Syrian displacement, the MPs are asking the government to clarify its plan for returns and to explain contradictions in figures on returnees and verification methods. The water and energy file covers the government's strategy for the water crisis, dam projects, acute shortages in some regions, electricity supply weaknesses, the fuel tanker matter and oil and gas exploration in Lebanese waters.
In the financial sector, the MPs focus on the fate of the criminal audit of the central bank, actions taken on its findings, the deposit crisis, the absence of an integrated plan to return depositors' funds and achieve financial recovery, and the linking of banking sector reform to fiscal gap resolution.
Security, defence and foreign policy are also covered, including negotiations, the framework agreement and its attached security appendix, and whether the government is fulfilling its commitments on a clear national defence policy and weapons.
The interrogation covers judicial independence, including whether the government has prevented political interference and protected the proper functioning of justice following the rejection of a law on judicial independence without a replacement being tabled. The MPs also raise administrative decentralisation, questioning why no real progress has been made despite it being listed as a reform commitment.
The request also addresses government and judicial appointments, diplomatic and security positions, and posts in oversight and regulatory bodies, raising questions about the criteria used and adherence to transparency, competence and equal opportunity.
The MPs have asked Berri to refer the interrogation to the government through proper channels and to schedule a dedicated session at the earliest opportunity.
The move comes as parliamentary oversight of the government intensifies amid accumulated financial, economic, security and administrative matters still under discussion within and outside parliament.
